During 1995-6 the present owners of Saints Farm, Mr and Mrs T Henderson carried
out an extensive restoration programme on this important property. Their
generous co-operation has made it possible for three sections of La
Société to conduct concurrent investigations on the same site
while the above work was in progress. The study carried out by the Archaeological
Section has already been reported (1) and John McCormack the Secretary of
the Historic Buildings Sections report is carried in this volume. This
account is concerned with the third investigation conducted, being an attempt
to identify the individuals and families who have owned, lived and worked
on the Fief over recorded time. The story of the ownership of the Fief Fortescue
(Saints Farm) covering the period between the first recorded mention (2)
in the year of 1274 to the present time is, for family historians, one of
the most interesting in Guernsey's social history. As a result of this project
and also to an ongoing research programme into the history of the Guille
family in particular, it may now be possible to trace some of the chronology
of succeeding inhabitants with a degree of confidence.

I am less certain however as to how the Fief Farm became 'Saints Farm'. In
the earliest records the name seems to be rendered 'Seines' or sometimes
Saynes. At this time words seldom had a universally agreed spelling
and no doubt a thousand years of usage has done the rest. It appears first
as a general name for this part of the Icart headland and the farm is first
mentioned as 'La Ville es Saynes'. I have taken this to indicate perhaps
a 'Villa' as in the Roman meaning, i.e. a self-contained substantial dwelling
with supporting farmstead and field structure. The property was certainly
in existence before the earliest known, recorded date (1274). The Fief Fortescue,
on which the farm stands is first mentioned in an Extente of Edward I (of
England) of that year. The Fief, one of the smallest in the Island, is thought
to have been created some time around 1050 - 1150 following the grant of
fiefs to Norman Knights but no structure or building of this date has so
far been shown to have survived on this site. In his book 'A History of the
Bailiwick of Guernsey' Marr (3) expresses the view that the present Fief
structure of the Bailiwick was in place by 1248. He also holds the view that
up until this time most of the fiefs were in the hands of absentee Seigneurs.
It is therefore probable that some time around 1204 this fief was among those
feudal holdings to escheat to the Crown. (4)

A local folk tale links a Marie Guille living in the 'Saynes' area with Mauger,
(5) Archbishop of Rouen. He was the uncle of William, Duke of Normandy and
had been banished to the Island of Guernsey for treason. He is reported as
having tried unsuccessfully to overthrow William in a 'palace coup' and was
then exiled for life. The truth of this tale of a relationship with Marie
Guille will in all probability never be possible to verify one way or the
other.

From the architectural evidence, best opinion points to the earliest existing
building or parts of a building on the site as dating from around 1300. These
features are still discernible within the curtilage of the present farm complex.

Early parish records covering this period speak of a family Guille as being
among those living in this district. A 'Petrus Guille' is the first member
named and he is found in the Assize Rolls for the year 1303. By 1305 another
member is being mentioned by name. This time it is 'Guillaume'. No evidence
has so far come to light to show how or even if, they are related. It cannot
be claimed, based on these references alone, that the family were indeed
living at Saints Farm during this period but the frequent mention of them
in this particular area of the parish makes it tempting to suppose so.

During the year 1331 Edward III was conducting his own Extente of the Island
of Guernsey. A 'Guillaume Guille' is again recorded and this time, significantly,
is mentioned owing three 'sols' in dues on his property, the Fief Fortescue.
This is the first known direct mention of a particular family, other than
Fortescues in connection with the property at Saints. We should not be unduly
surprised by the absence of mention of the family within the extentes prior
to this instance; these documents were primarily a record of the King's land
dues. As an extente was in no way a 'census', it is therefore quite possible
that the Guilles were in fact on the Fief Fortescue at the time of Edward
I in 1274, perhaps as servants or bailiffs but not sufficiently important
to merit an entry on any record. By 1331 however the Guilles held title to
the Fief.

In 1338, Duncan in his 'History of Guernsey' tells us that Jacques Guille
was among a party who fled Guernsey for Jersey following the French invasion.
The Guernseymen had failed in a brief but bloody attempt to evict the French
near what is now Les Hubits in St Martins. Credence for this departure
is provided by the fact that several members of the Guille family begin to
appear in the Jersey records from this date. In his hand written research
notes (6) de Guèrin expands on this event with his own account, including
in his version a short list of some of the names of those involved. The party
seems to have been welcomed by the Seigneur de St Ouen in Jersey. A Colin
Guille appears on the Mont Orgeuil Castle muster rolls (7) for the year 1342,
being listed among the archers present.

Some of the descendants of this party seem to have settled at St Ouen and
to have become closely linked with the de Carterets from the Manor, the Guilles
for example often becoming Bailiffs for the Seigneur. Subsequently there
was a Guille involvement in the founding of the Fief of Sark. Jean Guille
and his wife and two sons Jean and Nicolas, were among the Jersey contingent
of colonists who settled the island in 1565. More on this subject can be
found in the Fief of Sark, (Ewen and de Carteret, 1969).

In another de Guerin account, this time his 'Early History of Castle Cornet'
he lists more members of the Guille family. Nicolas Guille was among those
besieging the fortress in 1342 and Adam was involved in the Castle's ultimate
recovery from the French in the late summer of 1345. (8)

At various times during the remainder of the 14th century the name 'Guillaume
Guille' occurs regularly on the Assize Rolls, in St Martins (St Martini
de Bellosa) parish registers and lists of landholders. A Guillaume is also
mentioned as being a Douzenier. Clearly they cannot all be referring to the
same person, Guillaume (of 1331) would have been born perhaps some time around
1300. The 'Guillaume' in the 1390 St Martin's records therefore must be at
least his son or perhaps even his grandson. Other names now begin to occur
in the documents. Between 1358 and 1364 a 'Guillaume', 'Colin' and 'John'
are named in several of the Blanchelande (Martinvast) documents that survive.
(9) In 1364, for instance, in the 'Cartulaire des Isles' (10) we find the
then Abbot of Blanchelande, one Robert Toulissac, being called to the Assize
to answer charges. The trial was heard before Sir Edmond du Chesné
(Cheney) on February 15th. Guillaume Guille is among the twenty-four Jurors
summoned to decide the matter.

During the early 1400s it would appear that a branch of the Saints family
moved to St Peter Port and began the line which one day would see them as
'Seigneur de Rohais' and later 'Seigneur de St George'. They would in fact
become among the most influential families in the Island. It is possible
that the farm could no longer support the expanding 'clan' or perhaps a family
dispute (not unknown in the Guille family) led to their departure. Or it
may have been nothing more than a second or subsequent son setting out to
seek his fortune knowing he was unlikely to inherit the family farm. A member
of this latter group, Colin, was to set up in business in the iron working
trade and is referred to as 'Feuvre et Marechal'. He seems to have been
successful, as he passed this trade on to his sons and at one time was probably
the Armourer to St Peter Port, plying his trade in la Rue des Forges (Smith
Street). Among documents for the year 1428, held at the Greffe, we find him
paying the Parish (St Peter Port) treasurer for the burial of his wife's
relatives. (11)

By 1440 this line had produced Thomas, who was Receiver to Richard Neville,
Earl of Warwick. A record exists of this Thomas building a house near what
is now Forest Lane in the Pollet, possibly on the site of the present Moores
Hotel. Thomas's accounts survive, covering the period 1450-52 and were the
subject of an article in a previous issue of this journal. (12) Thomas also
had the title 'Captaine' or 'Governor' of Castle Cornet. Of his wife, we
know only that she was the daughter of Jean d'Icart and that they were married
around 1428. On 4th August 1455 Thomas was among Commissioners hearing merchants'
complaints of losing ships and cargoes to pirates. (13) It is also possible
he is the Thomas married to Collenette d'Ecluse referred to in documents
held the Guille family folder. (14)

To return to the 'Saints' family, some time around 1485 John Bonamy wrote
of his dealings with his friend Thomas Guille 'de Sainte' and describes him
as head of the family. (15) In 1488 a summary of those paying dues on land
forming part of the Blanchelande Fief included Thomas, John, Colin, Perotine
and two members of the 'Town' family, another John and Nicolas. (16)

The Greffe records reveal numerous instances of both these groups trading
land and property with one another. The various branches of the family seem
to have begun the (for researchers infuriating) habit of keeping to the same
Christian names over the generations. This practice makes it extremely difficult
to determine quite who is doing what and with whom.

What seems clear, however, is that in St Martins we now have just a
single family of Guilles living on the land of the Fief Fortescue who seem
to be engaged primarily in agriculture. With the sea so close by, however,
it is not impossible that they, like many other families at this time had
more than one source of sustenance: 'seine' is, after all, the name for a
type of fishing net. What must be of interest to family historians is that
all the Guille branches so far researched can be shown to be linked to this
founding family at Saints.

From a document dated 20th October 1507 (17) it is clear that Bonamy's friend
Thomas Guille had died. His partage reveals details of the distribution of
his estate between his sons Thomas and Nicolas. Thomas, the elder son, receives
'Un meson et menage' (house, farm and adjoining fields) at 'Saynes', St Martin's.
A number of nearby fields and small parcels of land all around Saints, La
Fosse and Le Clos au Barbier are mentioned as being part of the farm estate.
It is clear from this document that Thomas senior had been a farmer of some
means. (Note: a document held at the Priaulx Library records a Thomas Gille
dying in 1504 but it is yet to established if they are one and the same person.)
(18)

Juré Reserson records in one of his numerous excellent pedigrees (19)
one 'Nicolas Guille de Sainte' as having married in 1591 a Lady named Catherine
Ballen. According to a recently located document Catherine's father, Guillaume,
was at that time Comptroller du Roi of the Royal Court in Guernsey. By virtue
of her father's position it would have been regarded as a 'advantageous'
marriage. It also gives us a useful insight into Nicolas's standing in the
society of his day.

In 1638 a 'Nicolas Guille de Sainte' bought three fields from Jean de la
Rue to add to the 'Saints' land holding. The Island's rente system of property
purchase has enabled us, via a document from the Gosselin Archive, (20) to
follow the descent of the ownership of the farm almost up to the present
time. Around 1660 his descendant 'Thomas' was born. He was the son of 'Thomas
Guille and Marguerite le Pelley'. (21) As the Church records for St Martin's
parish begin around that time we can follow him through the major events
in his life. His mother's family were 'well to do' farming people and a branch
of the le Pelleys would one day become Seigneurs of Sark. This marriage is
also listed in the le Pelley pedigrees.

Male members of the 'Guille' family in St Martin's from now on are always
referred to as 'Le Sieur', so it is clear at that they were of some standing
in the community. Thomas married in July 1684 Rebecca Guille, daughter of
his relative Jacques Guille, Seigneur de St George. (22)

They were married at the Castel Church and were to have eight children. Rebecca
was the youngest daughter of Jacques, having been born in October 1662. She
and Thomas lived in some style at Saints Farm, the building undergoing extensive
alteration at this time. We can be sure Thomas would not have wished to be
seen as a 'country cousin' by his in-laws 'de St George' so his home would
have been furnished in the very latest fashion.

Evidence of their affluent lifestyle has come to light in some of the artefacts
recovered during recent excavations. Many structural innovations were
incorporated in the reworking of the property and much expensive hand crafting
and detailing was added at this time. What is possibly a unique lime-plastered
chimney hood in Guernsey has been uncovered during renovation work, complete
with the marriage date 1684 and a Fleurs de Lys executed in relief. Further
evidence of Thomas and Rebecca's life-style has come to light in the form
of a splendid glass wine bottle seal with his name engraved on it together
with a date of 1710. This item was recovered during clearance excavations,
giving clear evidence of occupancy by a 'well to do' country gentleman and
his family. (23) On the 27th of March of this same year Nicolas Careye, Seigneur
of Blanchelande sold to 'Thomas Guille of Saints, son of Thomas', land from
his Blanchelande Estates. Thomas was clearly expanding his land holding.
(24)

Rebecca died on the 15th of December 1728 in her 67th year. Thomas lived
as a widower another twelve years, dying in February 1741. He and Rebecca
are buried in St Martins Churchyard.

By a strange coincidence, a member of the Jersey family, Paul Guille, was
reputedly offered a Baronetcy (25) for his services to Charles the Second.
What contact there might have been at this time between Island families is
unclear but it is interesting to speculate on the overall sympathy for the
Kings cause in both Islands. Paul, for the record, refused the offer
of a title claiming to be of too modest means. Charles instead decreed that
he and his heirs were to be spared all taxes in perpetuity.

Thomas and Rebecca's eldest son, yet another Thomas, was born in 1686 and
in 1716 he married Anne de Jersey. No children from this marriage have been
so far found and on the 16th December 1749 this Thomas sold the farm to Pierre
Brehaut (son of Pierre) of St Pierre du Bois and his wife Anne Guille (Thomas's
sister). The contract lists numerous fields and small parcels of land to
be included in the sale.

Next comes something of a puzzle, for by four years after Thomas' death in
1766 the property had somehow once more reverted to the Guille family. It
is next mentioned in a contract recording the sale of the Farm by 'Thomas
son of Nicolas' on the 15th March 1770, again to a Pierre Brehaut, this time
of St Jacques, St Peter Port. It appears from the available evidence that
this Thomas was the nephew of Thomas who died in 1766, being the son of his
brother Nicolas and Elizabeth Allez. 'Thomas son of Nicolas' was born in
1727 and later married Thomasse Mauger. The contract again clearly defines
Saints farm and the adjoining properties. No mention is made however of the
fields purchased from the Careys in 1710. This may have been an oversight
on the part of the Advocate's clerk or perhaps the property had been redeemed
in some way.

Parish records throughout the eighteenth century, show that members of the
family took an active part in parish life. The St Martins Douzaine
records for example list both a Thomas and a Nicolas Guille, both serving
as Douzeniers for the year 1742. (26)

The sale to Pierre Brehaut in 1770 brought to an end the Guille Family
association with the Farm that had lasted almost 500 years. Whatever the
reasons for the reversion, Pierre Brehaut (the second?) owned the farm for
the next fifteen years, selling in 1785 to Jean Lenfesty and his wife Marie
Bourgaize.

Jean Lenfesty held the farm until 1819 when he sold to William le Messurier,
(son of Daniel des Grandes Moulins) and his wife Marguerite Maindonal. Marguerite
was his first cousin and they were married on the 27th March 1816. Frederic,
their eldest son was born on the 13th of September 1818. Although they were
to have another son, William, and a daughter Marguerite, Frederic was the
only one of their children to survive into adulthood.

He was also married into the Maindonal family, his wife being Mary. They
were to have six children. Their first child, a son who was again named Frederic,
was born 19th of November 1850. Frederic was to inherit the Farm on his father's
death on 21st of August 1879.

Frederic (jr) married Susan, daughter of James and Susan Langlois (of the
Hubits) and they were to have only one child, Mary Louise, who was born in
1890. Mary was recorded as having been born with a broken arm. In the 1891
census Frederic is shown living on the Fief with his wife Susan and their
infant daughter. His occupation is shown as 'farmer'.

Frederic died on the 19th of February 1897. A le Messurier family document
shows his widow Susan is living on the Farm in 1910, and with her as companion
is Frederic's unmarried sister Louise. Susan lived until the 3rd of November
1931, ending her days at Roseneath, Les Camps, St Martins.

On the 4th of March, 1910, Frederic's heir, Mary Louise, sells the Fief Fortescue
including the farm to George James Browning.

The Brownings, farming people of long standing continued the established
use of the land. George James was the son of James George Browning (from
Devonshire) and Ellenor Jane Rolls. (James George and Ellenor were to have
two other sons, Charles and John). James George lived to be ninety years
of age, dying in 1942. George James married Isabella Browning and they had
two children, George Charles and Isabelle. When George James died on the
14th of February 1930, his son George Charles inherited the property. George
Charles was born in 1898 and married Florence Mary Russell. They were to
have three children. On his death on the 8th of July 1969 the property passed
to these children, George James, Ivor Charles and their sister Jennifer Mary.

During the 'Browning' years the farm was, some time in the late 1920s, severely
damaged by fire. The exact date has not yet been established but it is clear
from reports of those who were there at the time that a significant portion
of the main thatched roof was lost. (Fire records for this period appear
to have been either destroyed or lost).

The Browning occupancy continued until the very recent past, the family selling
to the present owners, the Hendersons in 1994.

Acknowledgements

The above work has only been possible because of countless scholars and
historians both amateur and professional who have over the centuries scribbled
uncounted entries in the various island archives: also the numerous dedicated
and often unknown individuals who have added their researches to our store
of understanding of times long past.

I am grateful in particular for the ready help of the Island Archive Service,
the Greffe and members of the Family History Section of La Société.
A special mention must be made of the very great help and encouragement offered
by the Secretary of the Historic Buildings Section, Mr John McCormack. I
am also grateful for the assistance given by the staff of the Priaulx Library
whose ready and informed advice has proven invaluable in the preparation
of the above article. I would also like to place on record the generous
contribution of Mr Richard Hocart who helped make sense of some of the (for
me) more obscure documentary records.

In the case of Saints Farm perhaps the greatest credit must go to the present
owners, the Hendersons, who, despite being fully engrossed in a major undertaking
in reordering the property, were none the less willing to offer help, interest,
co-operation and sympathetic understanding of the earnest endeavours of what
at times must have seemed like a small army of researchers, who have peered
into just about every nook and cranny on the property over the two years
of the project. It would have been so simple just to have swept away all
the evidence that has been revealed in the course of the restoration of this
fine property.

I sincerely hope that the research programme has not been responsible for
too much inconvenience and delay in their major undertaking. I also hope
that it may be of some comfort and satisfaction to them to know that they
have made a singular contribution to the understanding and preservation of
the Island's fast diminishing cultural, architectural and historical treasury.